“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”
~ Bill Gates
If I was forced to ask only one question to really understand the health of ANY business, I’d ask, “How are decisions made?”
This one question opens the door to a host of topics that every business needs to thrive:
- Leadership alignment
- Team dynamics
- Strategic clarity
- And even the resilience of the organization’s culture.
But the bunt truth is that most organizations have a terrible answer to that question. In fact, most of the answers I get from the people I speak with are:
A) Vague and indirect
B) Bureaucratic and complex
C) A mix of both
The main reason I see this is fundamentally because most leaders are guilty of resulting – the tendency to judge decisions based solely on their outcomes. When things go well, they assume every decision was brilliant. When things go poorly, they assume every decision was terrible.
But here’s the reality: great outcomes can come from bad decisions, and bad outcomes can come from great decisions. Focusing solely on results blinds leaders to the quality of their decision-making process – and leaves the door wide open for future mistakes.
Resulting doesn’t just harm decision-making; it also undermines trust, stifles growth, and creates a reactive culture where lessons are missed. The good news? You can stop resulting. And when you do, you’ll lead your team with greater clarity, consistency, and confidence.
Here are three strategies every leader needs to break free from the resulting trap.
1) Focus on Decision-Making, Not Just Outcomes
When was the last time you evaluated a decision based on how it was made, rather than what it produced? If you’re like most leaders, the answer is probably “not often.”
We live in a world that worships results. Metrics, KPIs, OKRs, and quarterly reports dominate the conversation, leaving little room to consider the process behind the numbers. But here’s the truth: good decision-making produces consistent success over time, even if individual outcomes occasionally fall short.
What Does This Look Like?
Start by building a culture where decision-making is valued as much as the result. When evaluating a decision, ask questions like:
- Did the decision align with our goals and values?
- What data did we use?
- Who was consulted?
- What risks and trade-offs were considered?
For example, imagine you launched a new product that flopped. Instead of immediately labeling the decision as “wrong,” take a closer look. Did you gather and analyze the right market data? Did you map out all of the dependencies for the strategy to work? Did you involve diverse perspectives in the planning process? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” the decision may have been sound despite the outcome.
The Key Insight
A focus on the quality of decision-making builds resilience. While you can’t control outcomes, you can influence how decisions are made. Over time, sound decision-making will lead to better results and fewer costly mistakes.
2) Leverage Post-Mortems for Learning, Not Blame
Most organizations conduct post-mortems (or After Action Reviews) after major projects, but let’s be honest: how often do these sessions become finger-pointing exercises or empty rituals? Too often, leaders skip post-mortems entirely to “move on” to the next shiny initiative, missing critical opportunities to learn and improve.
Post-mortems, done right, are one of the most powerful tools for breaking free from resulting. They allow you to separate the decision-making experience from the outcome and focus on what truly matters: understanding what worked, what didn’t, and why.
What Does This Look Like?
Conducting effective post-mortems requires a deliberate approach. Focus on creating an environment where your team feels safe to share insights without fear of blame. Ask three simple questions:
- What went well, and why?
- What didn’t go as planned, and why?
- What should we do differently next time?
Let’s revisit the product launch example. In the post-mortem, you discover that while your market research was solid, the execution fell short due to poor communication between teams. That’s a valuable insight that can guide future efforts – but only if you’re willing to dig into how decisions were made instead of fixating on the outcome.
The Key Insight
Post-mortems turn failures into stepping stones and successes into repeatable playbooks. By focusing on decisions, not individuals, you foster a culture of continuous improvement where everyone can learn and grow.
3) Adopt Neutral Thinking to Break Free from Bias
If there’s one strategy that cuts to the heart of resulting, it’s neutral thinking. Neutral thinking is the ability to approach outcomes without emotional judgment – no celebrating and no catastrophizing. Instead, you focus on the facts.
Why is this so powerful? Because emotions and biases cloud judgment. When things go well, ego can blind you to flaws in how decisions were made. When things go poorly, fear can lead to overcorrection or defensiveness. Neutral thinking allows you to see outcomes for what they are: data points to learn from.
What Does This Look Like?
Neutral thinking starts with reframing how you react to outcomes. Instead of asking, “What does this result say about us?” ask, “What can we learn from this result?” This subtle shift keeps the focus on growth and prevents emotional overreactions.
Let’s say a sales initiative surpasses its targets. Instead of celebrating and moving on, practice neutral thinking by asking:
- What factors contributed to this success?
- Are there any risks or weaknesses that we overlooked?
- How can we replicate this success in other areas?
Similarly, if a project fails, avoid the blame game. Ask:
- Was the decision-making process sound?
- Were there external factors beyond our control?
- What adjustments can we make next time?
The Key Insight
Neutral thinking disrupts the Ego/Fear Loop. It shifts your focus from emotional reactions to objective insights, allowing you to make better decisions moving forward.
Bringing It All Together
Resulting is a trap every leader can fall into, but it doesn’t have to define your leadership. By focusing on the process, embracing post-mortems, and adopting neutral thinking, you can break free from this mindset and build a culture of smarter decisions and sustainable growth.
Mirror moment: Take one decision you’re evaluating today – a recent success, a current challenge, or even a failure. Apply these three strategies:
- Examine how key decisions were made – and by whom.
- Conduct a mini post-mortem.
- Practice neutral thinking as you reflect on the outcome.
What do you see now that you didn’t see before? Is there anything that you see that you need to do going forward?
The bottom line:
Blind spots are inevitable, BUT resulting IS avoidable. The first step is changing how you evaluate decisions. When you do, you’ll lead not just with better results- but with greater clarity, consistency, and confidence.
Holomua. Onward and upward.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stop-resulting-3-disciplines-every-leader-needs-master-tim-ohai-jwicc/
An extra thought:
“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
~ Peter F. Drucker
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